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It’s with great pleasure that I announce that I have been invited back as an official blog partner for the Riker Danzig Newport 10,000 in May. I’ve been a blog partner for several years now and it’s always wonderful to go back to Jersey City for the Newport 10K in the spring and for the Newport Liberty Half in the fall.

One of the reasons why I love going back to Newport 10,000 is that I get to run along the old familiar routes that I ran when I lived in Hoboken/Jersey City. If you’re wondering what the course would be like, let me give you a mile by mile description.

Newport 10K Course Map

The start line is the same start line as the Newport Liberty Half. It’s right by the Newport PATH station. The “corrals” will be areas marked off by your intended pace. This is a race that attracts a speedy field because they offer serious prize money and it’s also the USATF-NJ Championships. In past years, I’ve seen Olympic Trial contenders competing (actually I never saw them run because I’m so far behind them, but I saw them walking around after the race was over).

Mile 1. It is unapologetically the ugliest mile on the course. Hey, at least we get it out of the way. It goes around an industrial area of Jersey City. You get “exciting views” of strip malls with a grocery and a Target. You also might need to watch out for your footing here because sometimes the street is a little rough.

Mile 2. This race likes to advertise itself as a flat fast course. It is. But there is one incline on this course and you’ll find it in this section when you get onto the Newport Parkway. It’s not very steep and it’s a short section, but it throws people for a loop when they’re not expecting it. Once you finish the short climb, the course is flat, flat, flat.

Mile 3. This is my second favorite section of the race. We enter the Hamilton Park neighborhood of Jersey City. It is a part of Historic Downtown Jersey City. Stately 19th century brownstones line the street. Some years we’ve been lucky enough to spot cherry blossoms as well. I doubt we’ll have cherry blossoms this year because of the early warm spring that we’re currently experiencing, but regardless, the peaceful streets will be beautiful to run through.

Mile 4. We run out of the residential streets and it starts to look more urban as it becomes a mixed use zone. You’ll see a number of pretty red brick buildings and shops in this area.

Mile 5. Most of this mile will be on Grand St. Again, this is a mixed use zone, so you’ll see a mix of office buildings, shops, and historic brick houses. As you run down Grand, you’ll start to see the waterfront and if you’re not familiar with the course, you might be fooled into thinking that you’re going to be running straight to the waterfront from Grand. Wrong. There’s a quick little detour. One block away from the waterfront, you’ll make a right and then a left before you actually get to the waterfront. The tail end of this mile is on the waterfront and my favorite part of the course starts.

Mile 6. The Jersey City Waterfront! Undoubtedly this probably everyone’s favorite section of the course. The waterfront with its beautiful view of Manhattan and its well-kept boardwalk is magnificent to run on. When we lived in Jersey City/Hoboken, we ran here all the time. I love, love, love getting to this section because I know it so well. I know exactly how far I am from the finish and where I need to push myself to keep going. There’s a difference in running a mile on a well-loved familiar route and a mile on unfamiliar territory. The last mile! You’re tired, but it’s almost over and running through a beautiful area makes the pain better, IMO.

Mile .2. Now it’s time to climb into the pain train. The finish line is literally around the corner. The crowd is the thickest here and plenty of people will be cheering you on. There’s one last right-hand turn and you’ll see the finish line. As my friend Helly likes to say, “TURN AND BURN!”

Come join me at the Newport 10K on May 6th!

DATE

Saturday, May 6th, 2017

REGISTRATION

7:00 a.m. – Bib pickup can only be done on race day, so it is advised runners arrive early.

They’re also holding a contest for a free entry and swag bag to the 2018 race. Tell Newport 10K why you run. Share your story with a photo using the hashtags #WhyIRun and #RaceNewportNJ on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook before Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at 11:59 PM. The winner will be randomly chosen and notified via direct message the week of May 15, 2017.

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This is a sponsored post. I will receive a free race entry to the Newport 10K in exchange for a pre-race post and post about my race experience. All opinions are my own.

When Ben read that part, he was like, “Are you sure you want your sponsor to read this?” I answered that this was something I write every year without fail, so they knew what they were getting with me.